Low‐Temperature Catalytic H₂ Oxidation over Au Nanoparticle/TiO₂ Dual Perimeter Sites

The catalytic reaction of H2+O2 over a Au/TiO2 catalyst was studied by transmission IR spectroscopy and DFT calculations. A reaction path of O2-assisted H2 dissociation at the Au/TiO2 dual perimeter site was found to proceed through a TiOOH intermediate (see scheme). The calculated barrier range (0.13–0.25 eV) for the sequence of low-energy steps agree with the experimental Ea of 0.22 eV.